Appendix 4:
Resistance to Change

By Trevor Howes

From Knowledge Management for IT Professionals

Resistance to change

In all but exceptional circumstances some levels of resistance to change will surface something with potential to seriously slow up the programme, or even cause its failure. A useful analysis of resistance was undertaken by Milan Kubr (1996), and the following is developed from his work intended here to provide some insight into the dynamics of change in organizations for those leading the KM programme.

Lack of conviction that change is needed

If people are not properly informed and the purpose of change not explained to them, they are likely to view the present situation as satisfactory and an effort to change as useless and upsetting.

Routine is something most people enjoy and most people would need a good reason to go through the pain of change. There needs to be a compelling feeling that either staying in the current situation is too painful, or that the new situation will bring enough benefit that it is worth the journey. Communication is essential in the programme, for the knowledge management project is all about changing people's behaviour without the right messages, fully understood, then it will be extremely difficult to build sufficient conviction to see change through until the project is successful.

Dislike of imposed change

In general, people do not like to be treated as passive objects. They resent changes that are imposed on them and about which they cannot express any views.